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The Republicans in charge of the Wisconsin legislature say the price tag for all of their reforms over the past decade comes to 22-billion-dollars.  Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu yesterday released a report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau that shows Wisconsin’s tax burden has fallen by 22-billion-dollars since 2011.  LeMahieu said Republican reforms and a tight-line on new state spending get the credit.  The report says Wisconsin’s overall tax burden was fifth highest in the country back in 2011.  The report says Wisconsin’s tax burden

Wisconsin is a step closer to raising the age to buy cigarettes in the state.  The Wisconsin Assembly last night voted to raise the age to buy tobacco and vape products to 21.  The change won’t mean much, the federal smoking age went to 21 back in 2019.  The vote will simply bring Wisconsin into compliance with the federal rules.  The proposal next heads to the State Senate.

The snowstorm that left a glaze of ice across most of Wisconsin left an awful lot of snow in one far-northern community.  Folks in Washburn say they got 30-inches of snow this week.  Washburn is just north of Ashland, and on the shores of Lake Superior.  Neighbors say it’s taken days to dig-out of the snow.

One of Madison’s chefs and one of the city’s restaurants are being recognized as some of the best in the country.  The James Beard Foundation yesterday named chef Daniel Bonanno as a semifinalist for best chef in the Midwest.  The Foundation also named L’Etoile as a semifinalist in its Outstanding Wine Program. L’Etoile, owned by Tory Miller, is the only Wisconsin restaurant up for an award this year.

There’s a new option to get to the beach from Milwaukee.  Spirit Airlines yesterday announced new, season flights to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The non-stop flights start May 27th and will run at least two-times a week through Labor Day.  Myrtle Beach will be the ninth non-stop flight offered by Spirit from Milwaukee’s airport.

 Wisconsin is one of the least tax-friendly states in the country.  That’s according to MoneyGeek, which says Wisconsin is one of just a dozen states with a tax-friendliness grade of D or lower.  MoneyGeek says the average Wisconsin resident pays over 13-percent of their income in taxes.  The average tax bill in Wisconsin is just under 11-thousand dollars.  MoneyGeek says the most tax-friendly state is Wyoming and the least is Illinois.

The Madison Police Department is hiring six new officers.  The Madison Common Council accepted 750-thousand dollars in federal grants to pay the officers’ salaries and benefits for three years.  The funding also requires a 25-percent match from the city’s 2023 budget.  In the future, the city will have to pay the entire cost of the officers’ salaries.

A southern Wisconsin man accused of killing another man during a home break-in in Portage is waiving his right to a speedy trial.  The man appeared in court yesterday where a judge accepted his request and scheduled his trial for May 3rd.  He’s accused of killing Keith Wolfe in 2019.  A criminal complaint says he told police he randomly robbed Wolfe because he needed money.  He’s charged with first-degree intentional homicide.

Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley are getting a break from the snow, but not from the winter weather.  Some areas to our north saw over 20 inches of the white stuff. Here locally, we continue the clean up from our own totals. Due to the inclement weather that affected the Northwest Region of Wisconsin, State PatrolTroopers and Inspectors from Spooner and Eau Claire posts responded to 23 vehicle runoffs and 16property damage crashes between 5:00 pm 2/21 until 6:30

A man who’s spent most of his life on Wisconsin’s sex offender list is facing new charges in a child sexual assault case.  Prosecutors in Chippewa Falls charged 25-year-old Charles Zaruba with assaulting an 11-year-old girl back in 2019.  He’s due in court on those charges in May, Zaruba is also facing charges for in a case Mondovi where he’s accused of assaulting two other children.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THE STORY FROM WQOW.